


Going Down

by FinickityinFields123 (lifetheuniverseandeverything42)



Series: Attack of the plot bunny! [6]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Autism, Autism Spectrum, Autistic Original Character, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, POV Data (Star Trek), Protective Data (Star Trek), Self-Destruction, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Self-Worth Issues, Starfleet, Starship Enterprise (Star Trek), Suicidal Thoughts, The Whole Next Generation Gang, fluff?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:54:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24117592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lifetheuniverseandeverything42/pseuds/FinickityinFields123
Summary: (Title may change)Data notices some strange behaviour so enlists help to figure it all out...Eventually the whole damn senior staff get involved to explain this troubling mystery to the emotionless android.
Relationships: Data & Deanna Troi, Data & Geordi La Forge, Data & Spot (Star Trek), Data & Wesley Crusher, Data (Star Trek) & Original Female Character(s), Deanna Troi & Original Female Character(s), Geordi La Forge & Original Female Character(s), Wesley Crusher & Original Female Character(s)
Series: Attack of the plot bunny! [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1776028
Comments: 4
Kudos: 1





	Going Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Not part of the story)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [When other chapters have been posted you can just skip this section, but I will keep it just to provide some kind of context... (?)]

**So due to ArchiveOfOurOwn procedure, any new draft that isn't posted is deleted within a month of it first being created.**

**And, as with most of my Plot-Bunny fanfictions, this fic has followed the standard pattern:**

  1. **Sparking of the story idea by an episode or other fanfiction**
  2. **General jotting down of story points or dialogue**
  3. **Copying of that into an ArchiveOfOurOwn draft and adding appropriate tags to help figure out where this fic is going...**
  4. **Add conversations from all over the storyline in random chaotic order as they form in my head**
  5. **Never have the first chapter ready by the time the month delete timer is up!**



**So in order to avoid this being deleted - not that I don't have what's in this draft saved elsewhere - I have decided to add this little prologue/explanation to the beginning of this fanfiction; because, in a way, I feel it does need some explaining.**

** So are you ready? **

**Almost 2 years ago now, I was diagnosed with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) - we can contend the terminology later - and I went along a wandering path of self-discovery. Looking at the world, and myself, through a lens of Autism was very revealing; especially when it came to watching Star Trek: The Next Generation (I had watched it before, but not for years). Data, in particular, was intriguing to me.**

**There are minimal articles online that happen to fall in that central Venn Diagram loop of mentioning both TNG and ASD - but the few that exist all bring up Data, for the inspiration and explanation he can be in terms of autistic individuals; meaning he can help us to explore the world of human social interactions (in theory) and also somewhat explain autistic people to the neurotypicals (or 'normals' - not that normal really exists)...**

**While there are many issues with this analogy - primarily that of stereotyping autistic people as having no feelings - it is a good one to explore in my first fanfiction which explicitly has an autistic character in it. Generally in my other fanfictions, though some of my autistic traits may shine through, my main focus is on mental health as opposed to mental... afflictions.**

**Now, that sounds awful, but actually is factually sound: ASD is not 'fixable' or really treatable in any scientific way, as at its root it simply means my head is 'wired differently' - that is the usual description used anyway. I can provide some good links for information if anyone is interested, but in short I would recommend the National Autistic Society - just a quick Google away! ;-)**

**The vast majority of my fanfiction works (or basically all of them) deal with self-harm (or self-injurious behaviour) and while technically some self-injury is part of the diagnosis for ASD (like, a _bit_ ) I won't be entirely including it within the stereotyped nature: 'tic-like' self-harm such as headbanging (not the concert type), tapping, scratching or pinching; repetitive behaviour that can cause injury but is soothing to an over-working mind. So similarly to my other fanfiction works, I am continuing with my exploration into cutting as an addictive coping mechanism - which clearly affects autistic people as much as anyone, as my own experience decrees. Interestingly (or at least to me) I have recently realised that such actions are actually still valid as an autistic individual, as a way to process feelings we may have limited ability to deal with or of asking for help when we struggle to explain how we are feeling.   
**

**I am excited to get on with this fic; for the fandom it exists in, for the character I am to create, for my first autistic character and for others to read and hopefully enjoy it!**

**And finally, this fic will not be a Data slash - watching 'In Theory' has put me off attempting that - and will also hopefully avoid the Wesley-angst trope (not that I don't love it) as well.**

**Yeah, I think that's it.**

**When the first real chapter is up, this can be ignored at any reader's discretion...**


End file.
